


An Empty House

by jellofiend



Series: Brand New World [3]
Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 10:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5244230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellofiend/pseuds/jellofiend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud comes home to complete and utter silence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Empty House

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [prompt](http://100-prompts.livejournal.com/692.html): Table A, 025. Search. Set in the same universe as [Tea Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5217218).

Cloud comes home to complete and utter silence and is concerned.

Before, he wouldn’t have been. Before, silence was something he liked, something he would’ve actively sought out.

But things today aren’t like before. They haven’t been for nearly a year (and isn’t it amazing how much 8 and a half months can completely restructure your entire life?), and so now when he steps through the door and doesn’t hear the TV blaring out the news, or the sound of pots and pans and cookbooks being thumped around in the kitchen, or the running of the shower, he drops his bag on the floor and starts searching.

The den is empty, so is the kitchen. He peers out the window at the backyard and finds it just as bare.

He walks up the stairs and stands in the hallway for a second, trying to hear any sounds from the bedrooms or the bathroom. There’s nothing, and the worry digs a pit in his stomach. He checks the rooms, knocks on the door of the bathroom, peeks inside it, and then yanks his cellphone out of his pocket and dials.

Birds start to chirp in the second bedroom and his mouth twists in displeasure. He goes back in and finds the small red device lit up on the nightstand.

He ends the call, turns and rushes down the stairs, his heart starting to race slightly. He doesn’t think of any simple, innocent reasons for why the house is empty and why the cellphone is on the nightstand, although there are many. His life has shaped him so he’s always thinking of the severe, of the worst.

He’s got one foot out the front door when he stops and decides to call Tifa. It’ll be best to let the others know, in case the situation is bigger than he can handle alone.

She picks up on the second ring, with a chirpy “Hi, Cloud!” and the sound of her voice calms him a little.

“Tifa, something’s happened.” He says, fingers tight on his cellphone.

The cheer in Tifa’s tone disappears. “What’s wrong?”

“Terra’s missing.” He says, and hearing the words out loud makes his heart jolt in his chest and his go knees weak. He unconsciously leans on the door frame for support. “I came home and she wasn’t here.”

There’s silence on the other side of the line. Cloud waits, and breathes, digging the keys to Fenrir out of his pocket. After a few seconds, Tifa starts laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Cloud asks, frowning deeply. Tifa only laughs harder, starting to cough a little. “Seriously, did you hear what I said?”

“I did.” She gasps. “My God, Cloud, you’ve become such a...mom.”

“What are you talking about? This is no time to joke, Tifa!”

“I’m not joking! You’re seriously over the top with this kind of stuff.” She says, then giggles.

Cloud narrows his eyes, slamming the front door shut. “I’m wasting my time talking to you. I’m gonna go find Terra. If you can find it in yourself to help - “

“Oh, I’m gonna help alright.” Tifa says. “Come to the grocery store three blocks over. Walk in, turn left and look real hard at the baking goods section. Then look to your right and you’ll get a nice, big punch to the stomach - courtesy of me.”

Cloud stops just as he’s in front of his motorcycle, deflating. All the tension leaves his body instantly, and he sags against Fenrir’s side.

“She’s with you?” It comes out as a raspy whisper, and he clears his throat.

“God, yes, you moron!” Tifa says, and he can imagine her shaking her head in exasperation. “She called me and asked me to go with her to pick up some things at the store. She didn’t want to bother you at work.”

“She left her cellphone.” Cloud says. “I thought - “

“She just got it two weeks ago.” Tifa points out. “Is it so unfathomable that she forgot to bring it with her?”

Suddenly, he feels so stupid. Cloud raps his knuckles against his forehead, chuckling. “Damn, I really am a mom, aren’t I?”

“Listen.” Tifa says, voice softening. “I understand that with everything, you feel like you need to be there and protect everyone 24/7. I know your mind jumps to worst case scenarios, but...you have to learn to stop that. You have to learn to relax.”

“I know.” Cloud sighs, scuffing his shoe against the pavement. “I just - I can’t help it yet. Especially with her.” He pauses, looks out at the road as a truck speeds by. “This world is ours. It’s familiar to us, and we know how to live in it and navigate it. She doesn’t.”

“She’d never go out in it alone, Cloud. She knows better than that. She goes with you, and today she called me.” Tifa says. “You have to trust her to make good decisions.” She drops off suddenly, and Cloud can hear a voice in the background asking about a product. It’s Terra’s voice, and he smiles. “Yeah, that’s useful. No, it shouldn’t cost that much. Go haggle with that guy, he’ll drop the price eventually.” He hears Terra walk away, and then Tifa says: “OK, Cloud, I think we’re just about done here. Go back in the house and lie down, try to get your blood pressure under control. Your baby will be there in a few minutes.”

“Bye.” Cloud says just before Tifa ends the call. He slides his cellphone back into his pocket, then leans against his motorcycle. He closes his eyes, cranes his neck, then laughs. At himself. At the fluttering in his chest. Out of happiness and relief.

 

Terra comes home within minutes, just as Tifa promised. He’s still outside, in the same position against Fenrir, and he watches her as she says goodbye to Tifa at the corner - who shoots him a smile and mouths, ‘ _Here you are, you dummy_ ’, before turning and heading towards her house - and walks up, struggling a little with two large plastic bags in both hands.

Cloud steps forward, taking them from her as she protests: “At least let me take _one_!”

“No.” He says, smiling, and strides towards the house. Terra jogs to keep up with him, pouting.

Once they’re inside, Cloud sets the bags on the kitchen counter and steps back with his arms crossed, staring at Terra as she takes out items and puts them inside cupboards.

When she gets to the last one, she turns and slaps it against his chest with a grin. “Here.”

“What is it?” Cloud asks, catching it before it slides off his shirt. He turns it around in his hands. “A...switchblade?”

“Yes.” Terra beams, hands clasped behind her back. “Do you like it?”

It’s an ordinary brand knife, not that expensive, common. But to Cloud, in that moment, it’s the best, rarest, most expensive thing he’s ever received. A big, bright smile stretches across his face.

“I love it.” He tells her. She laughs giddily, the single kitchen light above them shining across her hair and face, and his heart jumps.

“I’m so glad, I’m really...” She shakes her head, glancing briefly at her shoes then looking up at him again. “I hope you find it useful.”

“I will.” He assures her, taking the knife out of its packaging and springing it open. The blade glints, and he closes it and puts it in his pocket. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” She says, pushing her hair out of her face and over her shoulder. Her eyes fall on the clock by the oven, and go wide. “Oh, look at the - I should start dinner!” She grabs the empty bags off the counter top and stuffs them in the drawer under it, beginning to fuss.

Cloud puts a hand on her back, stilling her. “Let’s order out, tonight.” She cocks her head, and he shrugs. “I feel like having some Wutainese food.”

“OK.” She says. “Should I go call?”

He nods, and follows her into the den, settling down next to her on the sofa as she picks up the phone and starts dialing.

For a moment, he debates with himself, his hand clenching and unclenching. Should he, or shouldn’t he? Will it be awkward, or will she accept it?

Eventually, he decides that he should, and slowly slides his arm around her shoulders. Terra blinks, pauses in her conversation, and glances at him. Then, with a small smile, she averts her gaze, presses herself closer and starts ordering.

 

**End.**


End file.
